Automatic folding-seat device



Sept. 30. 1924.

' J. E. ERICKESON AUTOMATIC FOLDING SEAT DEVICE Filed April 5. 1923 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 3 Y w wk R Nw ER V J T N; M A 15 N Y v Sept. 30 1924.

J. E. ERICKSON AUTOMATIC FOLDING SEAT DEVICE Filed April 5 192 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR JOHN E. ERIC/(SON ATi'oR/vEYs Sept. 30 1924.

J. E. ERICKSON AUTOMATIC FOLDING SEAT DEVICE Filed April 5. 1923 sheets-sheet 5 INVENTOR. JbH/v E. ERICKSO/V.

A T TORNEI Y8.

Patented Sept. 30, 1924..

UNlT STAT JOHN E. ERICKSON, OF ST. PAUL, IVIINNESOTA, ASSIGNOIL T0 AUTOMATIC SEATING COIVIIE'ANY, OI S'UFFRIOR, WISCONSIN.

AUTOMATIC FOLDING-SEAT DEVICE.

Application filed April 5,

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known. that I, JOHN E. ERICKSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Folding-Seat Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to automatic folding seat devices. An object is to provide a construction in which the seat member is automatically folded or lifted when not held down, and in which the weight of the person when sitting down causes the seat member to assume the proper position for supporting his weight. In places where it is desirable that unoccupied seats should be in folded condition, my construction provides a device which does not require any manual folding or lifting when the seat is not in use. This is of especial advantage in the use of theater seats since the unoccupied seats are always back out of the way to permit easy passage of persons going to and from their seats and when the occupant of a seat rises to permit the passage of other persons, the seat automatically folds or lifts so that he can move back sufficiently to per-- mit other perons to pass without ditlicult-y. In the case of school seats or other chairs placed adjacent a desk or table, when the occupant rises, the seat automaticallylifts and a person has easy passage to and from the seat.

The use of my device permits the occupants of the seats to pass out much more quickly than is the case with ordinary seats, and this is of especial advantage in case of fire in theaters. schools. and other public auditoriums. This device is in the nature of an improvement on the construction disclosed in my former Patent No. 1,428,018 dated Sept. 5, 1922. v

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional elevational view of my device showing the seat member in depressed position. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View and showing the seat member in raised position. Fig. 3 is a View in vertical section on the line 33 of Fig. 5. Fig. 4 is a View in vertical section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a view in horizontal section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a view corresponding to Fig. 1 in section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 7 showing a slight modification. Fig.

1923. Serial No. 630,015.

7 is a view in vertical section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is an enlarged view in vertical section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a view substantially in horizontal. section on the line 9--9 of Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a view corresponding to Fig. 1 and showing a further modification. Fig. 11 is a detail view in section on the line 1111 of Fig. 12. Fig. 12 is a view in section on line 12-12 of Fig. 11.

Referring to the construction shown in the drawings, the numeral 12 designates in general the frame or support of a theater chair having the customary arms 14 and back 16. An irregular metal plate 20, best shown in Fig. 5, is secured to the seat member 22 by screws 24. A yoke-shaped link member of angle iron has a middle or arm connecting portion 26 which is pivotally attached by a pintle 28 passing through ears 80 formed on an intermediate portion of the plate 20 and through cars 32 projecting from said middle portion. This yoke member has reversely bent arms 84 which extend rearwardly and the ends of which are pivotally attached by bolts 86 to the frame 12 in position slightly below the back 16. A second yoke-shaped member of angle iron has a middle portion 38 which is pivotally attached by a pintle 40 passing through ears 42 formed on the forward portion of the plate 20 and through ears 44 projecting from said middle portion. This yoke member has arms 46 which extend rearwardly and the ends of which are pivotally attached by bolts 48 to the frame 12 at positions considerably below the bolts 86. Coiled springs 50 surround the end portions of the pintle 40. the inner ends of these springs extending out into engagement with the p ate 20 and the outer ends of the springs being extended out in the form of hook members 52 which engage the upwardly directed flanges of the angle iron arms 46. It will be apparent from Fig. 5 in connection with Figs. 1 and 2, that the springs 50 are so tensioned that when there is no weight on the seat 22, the rear end of the latter is held upwardly in the position shown in Fig. 2. In order to provide a stop for limiting this upward movement and. also to provide .a buffer for cushioning the upward movement, I attach a curved spring member 54 to the under side of the plate 20. This spring member curves rearwardly and upwardly, and its free end comes into engagement with the yoke member 26 when theseat is in its raised position. In order to adjust the extent to which the rear end of the seat may rise, a screw bolt 56 is passed through the arms of the spring member 54. By tightening this screw bolt, the extent to which the seat may rise is increased. Figs. 6 to 9 show a. slight modification in which provision is made for at taching the rear ends of the yoke members to a vertically extending support 58 such as a wall. For this purpose, I provide two similar plates 60 which are adapted to be secured by screws 62 to the support 58. The plates 60 near their upper and lower ends are provided with pairs of parallel slits, the material between which is bulged out to form ears 64. Pins 66 passing through the pairs of ears and through openings in the rear ends of the arms 34 and 36 serve to pivotally attach the arms to the support. In order that the arms may turn on the pins 66 without any binding action, the material 0 the plates is bent forwardly adjacent ti arms as indicated at 68 in order to hold tl e pins forwardly. Figs. ferent arrangement of the lifting springs, the construction being otherwise substantially the same as shown in Figs. 1 to The rear end of each of the two arms 3a is extended to form a lever arm 70. Securet to the front of the chair frame 12 at each side thereof is an angle piece 72 and the attachment is made by means of a bolt 74lpassing through a slot 76 in the angle piece "(2 and one of a series of holes 78 in the frame 12. A coiled spring 80 connects the lower end of the lever arm 70 with the angle piece 72. The slot 76 and the holes 78 provide for adjustment of the tension of the spring 80. It is obvious that when the seat is not occupied. it is lifted into a position corresponding to that shown in Fig. 2 by the action of the two springs 80, one of which is located at each side of the chair.

The operation and advantages of my invention will now be obvious. irssuminp; that the seat is occupied, it will be in the posi tion shown in F ig. 1, and it will be understood that the seat cannot be further depressed on account of the manner in which it is attached by the two sets of link arms 84 and 4:6 to a rigid support. When the oc cupant of the seat rises, ti tension of the springs 50 causes the rear end of the seat member 22 to rise. This action is controlled by the two sets of link arms in such manner that the seat is given a combined rearward and upward movement, the lifting action for the rear end of the seat being much greater both sets of link arms are pivotally attached to the seat member, the link arms 46 will also turn in upward direction. This causes the seat to be moved bodily backward. and at the same time on account of the manner in which the ends of the link tached, the rear end of the seat will rise much more rapidly than its front end. When the stop 54lstrikes the portion 26 of the up per link member, the rising movement of the the resiliency of the member 54;, it also serves as a butter to relieve the shock of sudden stoppage. It will be noted that when the seat is not occupied, it is in inclined po sition with the rear end elevated. Thoretl'ore, the mere act of sitting on the seat rczul ily brings it into its proper horizontal position for supporting the weight of the occupant.

I claim:

1. An automatic folding seat (IlOYicc comprising a SUPPOIlZ, a seat member, two lim: members pivotally connecting said support and said seat member. spring mean which when said member is not occupied causes the latter to assume a folded position. and an adjustable bulfcr secured to said scat mcm her. said buffer engaging one of said link members to limit the extent of folding movement.

2. An automatic folding seat device tom prising a. support, a seat n'lcinber. two link members pivotally connected at th ir rear ends to said support at spaced places lying: in substantially a vertical plane and pivot ally connected at their forward cuds at spaced places to said soul; member toward the front thereof, spring means assoc ated with the pivotal attachment of the lower link member to said member which causes the latter when not occupied to turn upwardly around said pivotal ulhichmcnl. and an adjustable butter secured to said member, said buffer eng: "1151 one of said link members to limit the extent of folding movement.

In testimony whereof l hereunto nlli): my signature.

s in t JOHN lfl. ERICKSON.

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seat will be stopped, and on account of Jr Hill ill) 

